U.S. patent number 4,733,522 [Application Number 06/907,420] was granted by the patent office on 1988-03-29 for mower.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Husquarna Aktiebolag. Invention is credited to Rolf A. G. Johansson.
United States Patent |
4,733,522 |
Johansson |
March 29, 1988 |
Mower
Abstract
This invention relates to a riding mower comprising a chassis
supporting a driving unit intended to propell the wheels of the
mower as well as a cutting attachment which is provided on the
mower. The cutting attachment is movably fastened to the chassis
and can by means of an operating device be brought from a lower
cutting position to an upper non cutting position. The mower has a
movable part shaped as a guard (58) which joins the chassis (10)
and at least partially hides the cutting attachment (11) the guard
being connected to the cutting attachment in order to follow its
movement.
Inventors: |
Johansson; Rolf A. G.
(Partille, SE) |
Assignee: |
Husquarna Aktiebolag
(SE)
|
Family
ID: |
20361551 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/907,420 |
Filed: |
September 15, 1986 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 27, 1985 [SE] |
|
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8504492 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
56/17.4;
56/DIG.22; 56/320.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01D
34/662 (20130101); A01D 2101/00 (20130101); Y10S
56/22 (20130101); A01D 2034/645 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01D
34/63 (20060101); A01D 34/64 (20060101); A01D
034/64 () |
Field of
Search: |
;56/17.1,17.2,17.3,17.4,6,7,320.1,320.2,249,252,DIG.22,13.6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Hirsch; Paul J.
Assistant Examiner: Ciamacco; Vincent
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Miller; Alfred E.
Claims
I claim:
1. A riding mower comprising a chassis, a driving mechanism for the
wheels of said mower, a front mounted cutting attachment provided
on said mower and having rollers thereon, said cutting attachment
having at least one cutting blade and a casing surrounding said
cutting blade, means including an operating device for movably
fastening said cutting attachment to said chassis and for moving
said cutting attachment from a lower cutting position to an upper
noncutting position and vice versa, the front part of said chassis
being shaped as a protective hood covering the cutting attachment
when it is in said lower position supported by said rollers, a
guard enclosing the cutting attachment and said rollers and located
in front of and spaced from said casing, said guard being secured
to the front part of said chassis and following the movement of
said cutting attachment so that loose objects in the path of
movement of the cutting blade of said mower will be deflected
harmlessly.
2. A riding mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said guard is
U-shaped.
3. A riding mower as claimed in claim 2 wherein the legs of said
U-shaped guard extend from the front part of said chassis to the
front wheels of said mower.
4. A riding mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein the front part of
said guard at its lower edge is provided with an opening which
extends substantially over the complete cutting width of said
cutting blade.
5. A riding mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means mounting
said cutting attachment further comprises means for fastening said
rollers thereto, and said guard being connected to said last
mentioned means.
6. A riding mower as claimed in claim 5 wherein said rollers are
located at the front part of said guard, and said mounting means
for said cutting attachment being provided with a shaft on which
said rollers are rotatably fastened and about which said guard can
turn.
7. A riding mower as claimed in claim 6 wherein said guard is
provided with a stop means, and abutting surface for said stop
means on said mounting means for said cutting attachment in order
to prevent the rear part of said guard from engaging the
ground.
8. A riding mower as claimed in claim 1 wherein said guard is
fabricated of a plastic material.
Description
This invention relates to a ride-on mower comprising a chassis
supporting a driving unit intended to propel the wheels of the
mower as well as a front mounted cutting attachment which is
provided on the mower, the cutting attachment being movably
fastened to the chassis and by means of an operating device can be
brought from a lower cutting position to an upper non-cutting
position.
Mostly there mowers comprise a tractor shaped driving unit on which
the cutting attachment is secured. The cutting attachment is
usually provided with several details extending at the outside, for
instance bars for adjusting the cutting height, bars for connecting
the cutting attachment with the driving unit, wheels supporting the
cutting attachment and so on. These extending parts often hinder
the movement of the mower since they easily hook into bushes,
branches and flowers. Further, lawn mowers of the ride-on type do
not offer a very high degree of safty against injuries although
certain minimum demands are fulfilled with respect to the safety
regulations in different countries. Thus, it is for instance known
to attach a vertical steel plate of limited height at the outside
of the cutting attachment and at a distance from it in order to
prevent a foot from being lacerated by the cutter blade. This steel
plate also serves as a means to prevent objects from being
ricocheted out horizontally. However, it will not prevent loose
objects from being thrown out between the cutting attachment and
the chassis. On the contrary, the arrangement can cause a ricochet
which is directed upwards against the operator. The previously
known machines have not been particularly designed in order to
reduce the noise level which, to a large extent is created by the
cutting attachment.
This invention offers certain advantages with respect to the prior
art mowers.
Thus, according to the invention, the shape which the machine has,
i.e. a smooth front part, makes it possible to drive the machine
close to bushes and flowers without breaking or destroying them.
This shape also assists in giving the machine an attractive
appearance. Further, upwardly directed ricochets are effectively
eliminated since the guard which is connected to the cutting
attachment is a direct continuation of the chassis. Because of this
design the device also serves as a sound barrier for cutting
noise.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings where
FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical section of a device according to the
invention.
FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the support of the cutting
attachment and
FIG. 3 is a section of the operating device.
As appears from the figures the mower comprises a front chassis
section 10 supporting a cutting attachment 11, a seat 12, and a
driving unit 13, and a rear chassis section 14 supporting a gear
box 15 and a rear shaft 16. The front and the rear section are
pivotally connected to each other and can be turned about a common
vertical axis 17. Moreover the rear section is so designed that it
can swing about a horizontal axis 18. At the seat there is a bar
19. The bar acts on the cutting attachment 11 by means of a link
arm mechanism described below so that it can be positioned in
different cutting heights as well as be moved from a cutting to a
non cutting position.
The bar 19 as seen in FIG. 3, can be turned about a dowel 20 and
comprises two hooks 21 and 24 respectively which can be brought
into engagement with teeth 23 and 24 respectively on a plate 25
fixed to the chassis. The hook 21 is placed at one end of a rocker
arm 26 which turns about a dowel 27 which is fixed to the bar 19.
The other end of the rocker arm is at a point 28 turnably connected
to a rod 29 which is under the influence of a spring 30. The spring
in turn pushes the hook 21 towards the plate 25. The spring is
clamped between a bracket 31 on the bar 19 and a knob 32 screwed to
the rod. Thus, by means of the knob 32, the hook 21 can be acted on
so that it disengages from the tooth 23.
The hook 22 is a bent outer part of a plate 33 which continues into
a slide 35 which is provided with several recesses 34, the slide
being movable in the direction of the bar by means of a knob 36.
The slide 35 can be locked in certain positions since a tongue 37
on the bar 19 engages anyone of the recesses 34. Thus, by means of
the knob 36, the hook 22 can be positioned so that it engages a
suitable tooth 24.
The bar which is placed at one side of the chassis is by means of a
drawbar 38 connected to a three arm follower 39 which is connected
to a shaft 40 which is turnably fastened to the chassis. On the
opposite side of the chassis this shaft supports another follower
(not shown) intended to act on the type of link arm mechanism which
will be described hereinafter.
The shaft 40 also supports a mainly U-shaped yoke 41 comprising two
parallel pipes 42 placed one on each side of the cutter attachment.
These pipes are turnably fastened to the shaft 40. The pipes have a
horizontal inner part and a vertical outer part and are via a pipe
43 connected to each other, the pipe 43 serving as a bearing for
several rollers 44 which are intended to rest on the ground during
cutting.
The pipes 42 each have an ear 45 to which an angled link arm 46 is
turnably fastened. One end of the link arm 46 supports a draw bar
47 the other end of which is connected to a first arm 48 of the
three arm follower 39. The other end of the link arm 46 is turnably
fastened to a lever 49 extending between the vertical part of the
pipe 42 and a second arm 50 of the follower 39. The end of the link
arm 46 which is in touch with the pipe 42 is shaped as a fork 51
and intended to slide on the pipe whereas its second end has a slot
52 in which a dowel 53 of the second arm 50 slides. The third arm
545 of the follower is via a drawbar 55 connected to a tension
roller 56 (FIG. 1) in order to act on a belt, (not shown) in detail
running between the driving unit and the cutting attachment.
The yoke 41 has at its front part a fastening means 57 by means of
which a guard 58 preferably of plastics is fastened to the yoke.
The guard is mainly U-shaped as seen in a horizontal projection,
and covers the front side of the cutting attachment as well as its
sides. The sides of the guard extend to the front wheels which
means that there is formed a protected zone about the major part of
the cutting attachment. The upper part of the guard is placed
closely outside a front plate 59 under which the cutting attachment
is situated and has a flange 60 which in a lower position engages
the flange 61 on the the steel plate 59. This flange can however by
avoided since it will otherwise prevent the tilting movement of the
guard, for instance when passing a curb kerb. At the lower part of
the guard there is at its front end an opening 62 which means that
small objects do not hinder the movement of the mower. At the lower
side part of the guard and at its inside there is a pipe 63 which
is fixed to the guard. This pipe is bent and turnably fastened to
the pipe 43 by means of the fastening means 57 which means that the
guard follows the movement of the rollers on the ground during
cutting. The fastening means 57 also supports a turning stop 64
keeping the guard parallel to ground by cooperation with the stay
65 extending between the vertical parts of the pipe 42. Since the
guard joins directly to the front part of the chassis the mower
gets a very smooth front part at the same time as stones or the
like are prevented from being thrown out between the cutting unit
and the chassis, thereby also creating an interconnected sound
barrier.
The cutting attachment has several pulleys 66 each driving a cutter
blade in the cutter attachment and the chassis has a corresponding
number of braking rubber blocks 67. These blocks are placed so that
they engage the pulleys when the cutting attachment is swung to its
inactive upper position that is the dash dotted position shown in
FIG. 2. These blocks also are a spring support for the cutting
attachment in its upper position by means of which rattling and
noise is avoided when the mower is driven.
The device operates in the following way.
In its disconnected position the bar 19 is mainly vertical and the
hook engages the tooth 23 of the plate 25. In order to set the
cutting height in a suitable position the knob 36 is depressed
which means that the slide 35 disengages from tongue 37 so that it
can be moved in the direction of the bar. Then the hook 22 is also
moved in the length direction of the bar so that the hook 22 when
moving the bar forwards downwards in FIG. 2 engages one of the
teeth 24 of the plate 25 thereby preventing the bar 19 from being
moved further forwards. For moving the cutting attachment to a
cutting position the hook 21 is moved out of engagement with the
tooth 23 by acting on the knob 32.
When the bar disengages, it will, because of the weight of the
cutting attachment, be folded forwards which means that the drawbar
38 turns the follower couterclockwise in FIG. 2. This movement
means that the lever 49 disengages and can be moved downwards in
the figure. The yoke 41 which in the original position with its
front part rests on the fork 51 of the lever 49 thereby turns about
the shaft 40 until the rollers 44 engage the ground. Further
movement forwards of the bar 19 now means that the lever 49 with
the cutter attachment fastened to it is moved straight downwards in
the figure under the influence of the link arm 46, drawbar 47 and
follower 39 at the same time as the fork 51 is moved along the
vertical part of the pipe 42. The downward movement of the bar is
then stopped by the hook 22 in the way which has been described
above. The guard 58 which is directly connected to the yoke 41 of
course follows the movement described above. At the same time the
belt drive (not shown) of the cutting attachment is engaged because
the tension roller connected to the drawbar 55 tensions the belt
between engine and cutting attachment.
The preset cutting height is maintained by means of the rollers 44
and any ridges or recesses of the lawn causing a corresponding
increase or decrease of the cutting height depending on that the
rear part of the lever 49 is kept at a certain distance from the
ground whereas the front part of the lever is subject to the
changes of the ground level.
In order to increase the cutting height during movement for
instance when passing an obstacle, the bar 19 is drawn upwards in
FIG. 2 which causes the cutting attachment to be lifted straight
upwards. When the obstacle has been passed it is possible to return
to the original cutting height by releasing the bar so that is
returns to the original position. If a more permanent change of the
cutting height is desired the knob 36 is moved in a way which has
been described above before the bar 19 is again released.
In the manner described above a parallel movement of the cutting
attachment is achieved for setting of the different cutting heights
in the lower region of the moving path of the cutting attachment
whereas this movement at the upper region of the moving path of the
cutting attachment continues into a turning movement.
* * * * *